Wednesday, December 28, 2016

This is my very poor attempt to capture this amazing woman, called the mother of the nation, in doll form!

Dame Whina Cooper ONZ DBE was a respected kuia, who worked for many years for the rights of her people, and particularly to improve the lot of Māori women.

I made this face in deer suede, as the colour was good, but found it hard to define the features well in this fabric, although It needle-sculpted not too badly. I might try it in something different. There are a lot of things I would do differently, but

not too bad for a first attempt at something completely different!

Dame Whina Cooper ONZ DBE was a respected kuia, who worked for many years for the rights of her people, and particularly to improve the lot of Māori women in Aoteroa, New Zealand.

Friday, November 11, 2016

In 2002 I made this Mixed media doll pincushion for the first Steampunk Exhibition I entered. The idea of Steampunk is: Tomorrow as it used to be! It's all about gender, belief, sexuality, roles, and industrialism, including metal, leather cloth, mechanical, as well as time travel, fashion, contemporary and futuristic! All symbolic!

This doll now belongs to my eldest daughter, who uses it as a pincushion, as well as a work of art. Recently I visited, to find the head lopsided, and very dusty, so I thought I would tidy it up, only to discover most of it was just pinned together! I had not finished it!

Off came the head, out came all the pins, brushed off all the dust and shook all the fur, cleaned it all up and stitched (where it had never been stitched before!) Here she is, all fresh and ready for the next 14 years! Haha!

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Hmm!
Mereman - or Merman? Someone
challenged me to make a merman to go with my mermaid. I was not thinking of the
mermaid, (which is rather conventional), when I made himself!

My first thought was to make this doll with
coloured dreadlocks, and that was my inspiration. When I had made sufficient, I began with the trunk of the body of
course - to see if I could make some muscles, because mermen can be half naked
and no-one thinks anything of it!

Now the next obstacle - how to display him, with only a fin, and he can’t lean
on anything. Deciding it would be very
manly to insert a wire hanger into his back muscles, (to show his strength and
courage of course), high enough to be hidden beneath his cropped, shoulder
cover thingy! That worked!

I tucked his body into a tail - armatured
with my favourite skinny coat hangers, so I could shape it later and to give it
some 'body'!

Next, suitable arms, and I had to think what he might be doing, so one
straight and one half bent. Ideal for tattoos, and to hold something.

Then the head. Had to be manly, so this head has a bit of shape. (I
never know how they will turn out when I start.) Thinking of a good jawline
when drawing it out, I feel I am slowly getting there with that one. I am
pleased with the mouth shape, which is incorporated in the initial pattern drawing.

The next part of the process is how to present him. I thought of Steampunk,
and went with that idea for a while, as I have seen a few trendy looking steam
punkers, and so I added a few such embellishments, but in the end, I settled on
something that reveals his alternative, feminine, creative, and caring side. With the sea themed tattoos, (done by his
local swordfish), the Paua Shell embellishments and neck bling, and his
artistically arranged dreadlocks (styled by his local octopus, who is renowned
for her creative agility to twist things around – tentacle-y speaking!)

With a critical eye, I noticed there was an imbalance between the body
and the tail, so I connected them with the strap of a man bag, anchored to his
belt! I made the trident, but did not
want him to be holding it – unwieldy for packing and sending anywhere – so made
a strap that could sling it across his shoulders and be a prop.

The dreadlocks draw the eye down and connect the head with the tail, and
I addressed the imbalance of the length of tail with the pet fish, hanging from
his hand on a harness, to bring the eye right down.

I could do more with the tail if
I wanted to, but I liked the simplicity of his message: Here is a mereman, not afraid to show himself
as he is, usually found in deep water, vulnerable to predatory fish and the
elements, but with the strength and resilience to deal with whatever life
brings him. Happy with who he is, willing to intelligently stand for right, and
with a care for the wellbeing of his fellow creatures! Yes, there are Mermen like this!

Monday, October 10, 2016

What can I say? I saw something like this on Pinterest in clay and just wondered if it was possible to do something like it in cloth. One thing led to another and before you know it - I am needle-sculpting a pumpkin!

I learned how to make a crinkled stalk and I enjoyed making his leaf collar - also needle-sculpted!

I made his clothes grubby and his boots are scuffed!

It was looking rather creepy, so I decided to turn it into a wise old pumpkin and found a quote that says:

Saturday, September 24, 2016

I needed the symbol of an Albatross to take up to a group in Auckland, and rather than a picture - to represent our Southern Group - I thought a needle-sculpted Albatross might be interesting to try. (It will be interesting travelling with a 28 inch wide x 18 inch long bird!) Do you wrap it, or put it in a suitcase?

I had no idea if it would work. I just drew a shape - copying off google images, but there are no really good closeups, so made a good guess. It's not perfect and who knows if the dimensions are right? I know the tail is not right - too wide, but it looks like an albatross, so that's near enough for me!

Needle-sculpting the wings was a mission and hard on my fingers, but I am pleased with the results. Once I drew in the features and painted the wings it looked more like it!

For an armature, I used a thin wire coat hanger with the hook straightened and wrapped in masking tape. The end part of the wings has a bamboo skewer wrapped in batting. Stuffed, the wings were quite round, and I didn't know if needle-sculpting them would produce the results I was looking for, but it worked well enough!

I am pleased and glad I have made it! You never know what you can do till you try!

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Here are some dolls I have been making for an exhibition In Manapouri.

The exhibition theme is "Living in Manapouri!" A small town community of retirees, artists, readers, knitters gardeners and trampers! A little bit of eccentricity helps!

These dolls are conversationalists!

Someone gave me some knitted fabric that lends itself so well to dolls and makes them touchable!

The doll faces are made from quilters muslin with a bit of 'give'! I make them stump dolls because the fabric will speak for them and make them 'colourful characters'! I can vary the sizes and shapes accordingly. They go together quite easily.

This man is inspired by a good friend of mine - an artist who is a bit of a character! I didn't get the head shape right, but the facial features went quite well and certainly the 'stance'!

Saturday, June 11, 2016

I have just finished making this figure of St Catherine of Siena, a Tertiary Sister of the Dominican Order of Preachers & Teachers. She was the 24th of 25 children, a twin born to a well off couple in Siena, in the 14th Century. Known as a Mystic, she became a force for good, working tirelessly for the poor and sick. Although illiterate, she wrote a book that is still studied today by Dominicans all over the world, called The Dialogue. She died at age 33.

I had fun draping this figure in medieval costume and figuring out how it all goes. I didn't want to make her look too holy, but to look like someone to relate to. Her arms move, so she is easily posed!

Monday, May 16, 2016

Just finished this doorstop doll for someone and am quite pleased with how it has turned out!

One of the longest parts of doll making for me is finding the right fabric in my stash! Luckily this time I found an umbrella skirt! Thought it would come in handy some day! Already circular and stitched, so trimmed off the pointed ends and decided to use them as is to make ruffles further up the skirt! So easy! I didn't have to hem it either! the bodice took a bit of doing, because it is a little fiddly being shaped, but I have to say it is a very effective style!

And the hat! A straw hat. Topped with polyester stretch velvet, then a tube with the hem (It was previously a top!), and gathered at the other end. This is inserted in the hat with the hem rolling out over it all! Hand stitched on, add some plumage and a big bow - two hat pins and - all done!

The brief was for a Victorian Lady in a black dress, but I added a hint of red overlayed with a lace panel, to keep it subtle. I really should have given her a burgundy choker, for better colour balance, but only found that after I had done this. Accented with burgundy roses. I wondered if she needed something around her shoulder- neckline? She is rather exposed for one in a hat I thought?

This doll was made from my pattern Hello Dolly, and you can find it on my Etsy page, Designer Doll Patterns, Dollmakers Journey, Fabric Addictions or Craftsy! She is a Door Stop Doll and not that difficult to make - once you decide on your fabric! hah! She has a plastic milk container for her lower body, so no legs to deal with!